Mongolian Horse Bow
With shoulder issues on my drawing arm I decided a wise course of action would be to pick up a lower poundage bow to let me continue to enjoy traditional archery.It would also give my son an opportunity to learn the sport without struggling with a heavier bow weight.
Picked up a 40#@ 28 Mongolian horse bow on an Ebay auction for $80 USD. It is a basic bow with a decent fit and finish. Nothing fancy by any means but nice nonetheless.
In typical Mongolian fashion the bow has a string bridge which gives the bow it's unique look.
As a bow designed to be used on horseback it is relatively short and quite light. Perfect little bow for shooting while bushwhacking the woods.
Got out this morning to test shoot the bow using my usual bamboo arrows despite the winter like conditions. The 40 pound draw weight was ideal and my wonky shoulder did not complain as it had with my 45 pound longbow and 55 pound Chinese bow. The Mongolian felt good in my hands and had a surprising amount of pop with little hand shock. The draw was smooth and felt comfortable once locked in my anchor spot.
Excellent little bow. Shoots well and the 40 pound draw weight keeps my left shoulder happy.Nice!
As an afterthought I researched traditional Mongolian archery practices and noticed they pull with the thumb and not the fingers so prevalent in the Western traditions. Using a thumb ring the string is pulled back to the anchor point with the fore finger looped over the top of the thumb. Using a little creativity along with hockey tape, plastic, cardboard tubing and some suede I fashioned a makeshift thumb ring.
Loosing arrows using the Asian style is rather difficult and. at least for me, does not feel like a natural position. It will take some practice to get used to the thumb pull technique. I still prefer the "three finger split" technique as it gives me a better sense of accuracy, comfort and control.
Picked up a 40#@ 28 Mongolian horse bow on an Ebay auction for $80 USD. It is a basic bow with a decent fit and finish. Nothing fancy by any means but nice nonetheless.
In typical Mongolian fashion the bow has a string bridge which gives the bow it's unique look.
As a bow designed to be used on horseback it is relatively short and quite light. Perfect little bow for shooting while bushwhacking the woods.
Got out this morning to test shoot the bow using my usual bamboo arrows despite the winter like conditions. The 40 pound draw weight was ideal and my wonky shoulder did not complain as it had with my 45 pound longbow and 55 pound Chinese bow. The Mongolian felt good in my hands and had a surprising amount of pop with little hand shock. The draw was smooth and felt comfortable once locked in my anchor spot.
Excellent little bow. Shoots well and the 40 pound draw weight keeps my left shoulder happy.Nice!
As an afterthought I researched traditional Mongolian archery practices and noticed they pull with the thumb and not the fingers so prevalent in the Western traditions. Using a thumb ring the string is pulled back to the anchor point with the fore finger looped over the top of the thumb. Using a little creativity along with hockey tape, plastic, cardboard tubing and some suede I fashioned a makeshift thumb ring.
Loosing arrows using the Asian style is rather difficult and. at least for me, does not feel like a natural position. It will take some practice to get used to the thumb pull technique. I still prefer the "three finger split" technique as it gives me a better sense of accuracy, comfort and control.
Comments
Trish MacDonnell,
Scotland.